


Tears

by LadyLokiLaufeyson



Category: X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Child Abuse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2014-05-30
Packaged: 2018-01-27 15:40:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1715864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLokiLaufeyson/pseuds/LadyLokiLaufeyson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Charles is hit, he’s five years old and his mother has swatted his hand for breaking a vase.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tears

The first time Charles is hit, he’s five years old and his mother has swatted his hand for breaking a vase. It’s not hard enough to leave a mark, and wasn’t really meant to hurt badly, just to make sure Charles knew that what he did was wrong, but Charles cries for 30 minutes straight nevertheless. 

The second time is when he’s eight years old and it’s his new stepbrother Cain smacking him across the face and telling him to “wipe that stupid look off his face”. They had only met a few minutes earlier. 

The third, fourth, fifth, sixth, tenth, and twentieth times it’s still Cain, smashing his fist into Charles’ face. 

Charles is 10 years old now, and Cain has him pinned underneath himself, punching Charles repeatedly. They’re outside and it’s raining and muddy and Charles is yelling but no one is coming to help. 

Cain grabs Charles by the collar of his school uniform and shakes him “You’re such a piece of shit, Charles! That’s all you’ll ever be to me, a piece of worthless fuckin’ _shit_ with a stupid fucking shit eating grin on your damn face all the time,” he snarls

“Acting like you’re fucking better than me all the time,” Cain continues, landing a particularly hard blow on the side of Charles’ face for emphasis.

Tears are streaming down Charles’ face and he’s wondering what he ever did to deserve this.

Charles is 15 years old now and his sister Raven is playfully punching him in the arm, teasing him about being “such a nerd” as they lie next to each other on the floor of Charles’ room, books spread out in front of them. Charles doesn’t mind Raven’s teasings or playful hits, because he knows she’s just joking and does it out of love and not pure, unbridled hatred for him. 

Charles is 18 years old now and there’s flames everywhere and Kurt’s grabbing Charles and Cain and pushing them to safety and whispering to Charles to not let Cain find out about his telepathy. 

Cain finds out anyway, and he hates Charles more than ever.

Charles is 22 years old now and today is the last time Cain lays a hand on him. They scream and yell and hit and kick and slap and throw punches until Charles, for once in his life, takes the upper hand. He drives Cain out of the mansion, yelling at him to never come back, and spitting blood at him as he leaves. 

Charles is 25 years old now and he feels freer and happier than he ever has. He’s athletic, popular, well educated, posh, charming, and even he’ll admit, quite handsome too. And with his powers, he could easily be considered at the peak of mutant perfection. Charles hasn’t been hit in three years, but he still instinctively flinches or cowers away if someone moves their hand too fast around him or raises their arm in his general direction or comes at him too fast. But he’s working on it and he’s happy and comfortable in his life and that’s all that matters. 

Charles is 28 years old now and he’s just saved a mutant with a glowering face and steely blue eyes and one of the most angry and pained minds he’s ever felt. He assures the man, Erik, that he is not alone, and Charles feels a sudden burst of happiness, relief, and a feeling of acceptance wash through Erik’s mind; and Charles will be damned if that’s not one of the most satisfying feelings he’s ever felt overcome someone.

Charles is still 28 and he’s in love.

Charles is 29 years old now and it’s sunny and warm and sandy and he’s screaming and the man he loves is holding him in his arms and saying he’s sorry. Charles can feel that Erik is sorry, but not as much as he wants Charles to believe.

He can’t feel his legs and he’s in a type of pain that he wouldn’t wish on anybody and it feels like his entire world is collapsing. 

Erik and Raven, the two people he cared about most, are leaving. The two people that he’s loved and cared for more than anyone else in his entire life, are leaving. They’re leaving him, bleeding out on the beach and scared and growing colder and colder by the second.

Tears are streaming down Charles’ face and he’s wondering what he ever did to deserve this.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah so I really wanted to write something involving Charles' family life since we don't really see it in the movies (and I really wish they would expand on his family life in the movies). I'm thinking of _possibly_ expanding on this fic, like writing a work of 25 or so chapters, each one corresponding with a year of his life from the ages of 5 to 30.


End file.
